In a bid to address the challenges facing local government areas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, has urged state governors to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s quest to grant full autonomy to local government areas. This call was made at the National Discourse on Nigeria’s Security Challenges and Good Governance at the Local Government Level in Abuja on Monday.
The Speaker, represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, highlighted the need for local government autonomy, citing the federal government’s recent legal action against state governments’ usurpation of local government functions. He emphasized the House’s commitment to ensuring local governments’ optimal functioning through legislative interventions.
Kalu lamented the wide gaps in service delivery and the suffering of rural communities due to the local government system’s failure to meet its constitutional mandate. He stressed the need for reform and revitalization at the grassroots level, noting that non-state actors are exploiting ungoverned spaces in local government areas, making life unbearable for rural citizens.
The Deputy Speaker promised that the discourse’s positive outcomes will help strengthen local government administration, identifying the need to discuss bottlenecks, ascertain the extent of weak governance’s contribution to insecurity, and build national consensus on strategies for strengthening local government governance.
With the legislative arm’s support, President Tinubu’s push for local government autonomy aims to address the challenges impeding the third tier of government’s ability to fulfill its constitutionally assigned roles. This move is crucial for Nigeria’s development and the well-being of its citizens.
LV